Despise
by Erroro
Summary: As Xandra roams free once more, a kougra and ixi duo are . However, her escape has set off a chain of events that will bring Neopia to its knees once more...
1. Chapter 1

**Hello neopets archive! So I'm back with a new multi part story! *cricket chirps* Nevertheless, to those of you still here, I hope you enjoy the story!**

She was running.

She didn't know why exactly. It sort of floated away from her after the last hour or so. But she knew she had to keep going. They had to be following her. Or were they? Who was following her again?

It was cool, dark and damp in the Haunted Woods, and did not help Xandra's pounding heart. This place looked familiar. Familiar to the point of fear. She supposed there were good and bad memories associated with this place. \

Xandra slowed to a stop. She knew it. She couldn't do it. They were going to catch her. And she knew she wouldn't be able to put up a fight. She slumped against the torn bark of a tree, feeling her cold sweat drip down her face.

So she began the slow and torturous process of piecing together memories.

She had been made of stone. The first year was clearer than the rest. Anger had helped her concentrate. Fruitless planning for when she got out had filled her days. Her rage was always there, but it dimmed as the days blurred together. Soon, she didn't bother watching. What was the point, watching the grass grow around her, watching the pets' curious faces? They would never understand how she was really helping them.

Fyora came and visited her every once in a while. Perhaps it had been years between visits. Every time her words were the same. Updates on Neopia, the weather, the rebuilding of Faerieland and promises. Promises that she would be free, which Xandra knew to be lies. But most of the time she just gazed into the darkness, trying to hold onto memories.

_My name is Xandra. I am a Xweetok, a subspecies of Neopet. I can use magic. I hate Faeries. I hate Fyora. I hate Hanso. I hate Brynn. I hate the black and white world._

_At least here it's just black. No confusing colours._ She thought to herself happily for a moment. And she felt happy. And then terror ran through her.

_This is what insanity must be. _

And then there was light. Blue skies, wafting flowery scents. She crumpled to the soft ground.

Then it was a blank.

Xandra huffed, and pulled herself to her feet. She figured that her broken mind would stay broken. But at the moment, she wanted to stay alive.

So she ran.

* * *

Brynn had settled into what she said was a normal life.

The artefacts had been retrieved two years ago. After all the excitement, settling back into being a Captain of the royal guard had to seem normal.

Or at most times, boring.

She didn't seek thrills; that was Hanso's job. But thrills were thrilling all the same, and her job was less than thrilling than she hoped. She drummed her pen against the table. Another report about a petty thief. She'd let him go with a warning. Crimes in Faerieland were at an all time low. Faerieland's rebuilding was nearing completion. There were no evil Xweetoks trying to ruin her day. All was as it should have been.

_Why do I feel so uneasy then? _She thought to herself, glancing out the window to the sight of Queen Fyora.

Brynn continued writing her report. Then she had a double take.

"Queen Fyora?"

"Ah, hello Captain Brynn. Would you be so kind to let me in?"

As Fyora floated in, closing the door behind her. Brynn saw the lines at her eyes, with dark circles around them.

"Are you alright, your Majesty?"

"Yes, I'm fine... but I fear Neopia is in great danger once again..."

"What happened?" Brynn asked uneasily.

Fyora paused, and then sighed. "Xandra escaped from her stone prison last night. She's gone."

Brynn felt a year's worth of nightmares come back. Sleep filled with fire, wraiths, and blinding lights. At the end of each one, she was cold and empty stone. And then _she_ would be standing over her, a maniacal smile plastered on her face saying, "I was impressed by your tenacity Brynn. It's quite a shame tenacity won't get you out of here anytime soon."

She would then wake up, her horrible laugh still ringing in her ears.

"That's impossible! The Darkest Faerie was imprisoned in stone for a thousand years before she escaped!" She protested, feeling a lump rising in her throat.

"I know, but that was with the help of Jerdena's necklace..." Fyora clenched her staff. "I just wish that I could have detected it earlier. I have put Neopia great peril due to my lack of diligence."

"I'll assemble the guard right away and prepare to search for her right away," Brynn replied quickly.

"No, I don't want anyone to know of this. It would send everyone into a panic, and Xandra would surely take advantage of that. It must be you, and Hanso," the Queen replied quickly.

"Hanso? ...I haven't heard from him for a year now. I have no idea where he might be," she admitted quietly. After all the thrills, they'd both tried to settle back into a normal life. Every night, Hanso would come back with something new in his pocket. She had tried so hard to change him, but they soon know that they couldn't do it. Yelling, screaming, telling him he wasn't just a thief, telling him that she trusted him.

Obviously he had taken her trust for granted.

So they had parted ways, Hanso to his land of heists and thrills, and Brynn to her life of catching criminals and paperwork.

"I'll locate him and send him here. In the meantime, pack whatever you'll need and wait for us here," Fyora said, approaching the door.

Brynn pulled out her sword, staring at the meaningless symbols etched upon the blade, remembering the wraiths slayed, the adventures, the thrills. She almost smiled. She was finally going to see him again.

"I'll be ready," she answered to the closing door.

* * *

Hanso's life had hit an all time low.

He had tried to pull off one of the greatest heist of his life. Unfortunately, Nabile had foreseen it and put in a few packs of werehounds at the door, knowing his great love for them. She even threw in a few angelpis, making sure that he went through the painful experience sneezing.

Now missing chunks of his fur, he gazed into the darkness.

_I could get out if I wanted. But hey, the food here is good. _He told himself.

If only Brynn was here. Then he could annoy her, always something he took delight in doing. Or she would pay for his bail. Either way would be fine by him.

_She's gone, Hanso. She's living a productive life while you're stuck in a dungeon. _

Did he make the right choice, to leave her for the riches the world had to offer? Sometimes he didn't know. Even with his magnetic personality and his many fan girls, he still went to sleep at night feeling lonelier than ever.

But it had to be worth the status of master thief. After all, it had been his dream his entire life. And one couldn't bear the title master thief without stealing. Brynn couldn't understand. Stealing without reason, when he rolled around in neopoints would never make sense to her. Only a thief would ever be able to relate to the rush, the energy, the tribulation of not getting caught. The way she'd see would only be in black and white.

_Great, you're thinking like Xandra now. That's a pretty good way to tell when you're going a little more than crazy. _

Hanso did not like thinking of the Xweetok. He told himself that even if she escaped, he would be beyond caring as he lay decomposing in the ground.

"I still don't understand, your Majesty. Why would you need that good for nothing thief?"

"Must I remind you that he was the one to save you from a lifetime of stone?"

"That was different; he was only saving his own neck! If you were battling with a insane witch for the fate of the world would you-"

"Jazan, must I have to wrench the keys from your paw and free him myself?"

"Alright, alright, I'm letting him out!"

The cell filled with glaring light as King Jazan walked in, holding a key. "Get out of my dungeon Ixi," he said, glowering at him with distaste. Hanso jumped up, charming smile plastered onto his face.

"Oh, how delightful! Might I ask what made you have this glorious idea? Surely it wasn't your loving wife."

"Don't you dare talk about my wife that way! I'd rather keep you locked up in here for the good of Neopia... but for some reason Queen Fyora wants you out," Jazan said grudgingly.

"Well, Fyora should know a true hero better than anyone," Hanso said, idly twirling a key with his finger. "Anyway, tootles!"

Jazan stared into the darkness for a moment. Then his mind processed what he just saw.

"COME BACK HERE IXI!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello again! Hope you enjoy this chapter, because I'm not sure when the next one will come out, with exams coming up and all that. o_o; **

Xandra moved the branches out of the way of her vision. She had come to a clearing, where saplings with faces of horror etched upon them were beginning to grow.

She knew this place. She could tell from the pit in her stomach.

Xandra walked up to the rubble, kicking the stray pebble. She came up to a piece of broken building with words etched into its surface. Squinting, she managed to make out the words.

_A reminder to all what we were, and what we've accomplished._

Next to it was a faded picture of a pink cloud with a castle upon it.

Xandra frowned. _A castle on a cloud isn't possible, unless some sort of magic is involved. _

Somewhere in her mind faeries and a floating cloud connected with burning. And she remembered.

"_Why? Why would you do this to the faeries?"_

What had she done?

"_It was a symbol Brynn. That's all."_

Symbols. She didn't remember any symbols.

"_I may be the most powerful pet the faeries have ever taken under their wings but even I couldn't take them all on without a little help."_

Taken on? Taken on the faeries?

"_Well Hanso? Are you just going to let her die?"_

Xandra felt her blood run cold. None of this was her. None of this could be her. She would never say such things.

So then why did it all sound so familiar?

"Concentrate!" she told herself, gritting her teeth.

She'd done something to the faeries, to destroy a symbol. She hated faeries. She hated Brynn. She had help. And she was willing to murder to get where she wanted.

"Think, think!" she muttered, holding her pounding head.

_Purple skies, burning, crashes, flashes of light, stone, black and white, insanity..._

Suddenly a blur of memories flowed back to where they rightfully belonged, memories of artefacts, stoned faeries, spell books, dark creatures, and a booming crash. Xandra looked around in terror, remembering this place, remembering her own cruel words.

"_I've let you this long because I see potential in you, otherwise I would've done away with you like I did that boasting fool Nox."_

She ran, breaking branches through the forest, but it didn't stop the flow of memories

"_You see everything in black and white, good and evil, right and wrong!"_

"_The wraiths were just an unanticipated side effect of the spell that froze the faeries. _

"_A world for neopets ruled by a neopet; me!"_

"_Do you know how powerful the faeries are Brynn? Do you have any idea?"_

"_There was no reasoning with those winged tyrants, so they had to be overthrown!" _

"_You will die Hanso, and Neopia will be better off under my rule." _

Xandra could feel herself slipping again. Gritting her teeth, she began her chant under her breath

"My name is Xandra. I am a Xweetok, a subspecies of neopet. I can use magic. I..." she swallowed down the lump in her throat. "I turned the faeries to stone. I brought Faerieland to the ground. I killed Nox. I hate Brynn and Hanso. I tried to kill them. I ruled Neopia. I can command wraiths. I may be the most powerful student the faeries ever took under their wings."

Xandra slowed to a stop, and between breaths she corrected herself. "I am the most powerful student the faeries have ever taken under their wings!" And she smiled, the same power coursing through her that she had always felt.

Perhaps her mind wasn't as broken as she'd thought.

* * *

Fyora didn't know how immortality worked exactly. How far it went, how long it lasted. But she knew from experience that it could make time go fast, or go unbearably slow. She didn't mind when it went fast; she had as many days as she liked. But when it inched on like a slug, it could become slightly unbearable.

Since time seemed to be going especially slow sitting in seat of the Eyrie cab, Fyora took the extra moments to dwell on her mistakes; not something she enjoyed but did from time to time. Fyora reminded herself that it was important to keep one's flaws in check.

After all, her favourite student went to such lengths to remind her.

And now she was back. Her poor misguided student that she had used as a garden ornament had escaped. Fyora had only been stone for a few days, but she knew. You could see, hear, feel, and think. But even what she was given had no way to help her.

_Who did this? _She'd asked herself, over and over again. She had many enemies, ancient and powerful, many so old she had nearly forgotten them.

How great a surprise it was when she saw the speckled Xweetok, with her grey eyes and murderous expression.

The Faerie Queen tried to reach out to her, trying to make sure not all her hours were filled with silence. She didn't know if she was listening, but she would hate herself for giving up on her so easily.

She had brushed away concerns of lifting Faerieland into the clouds. Needless to say, the faeries had mixed reactions.

"I love it here! It's so nice to stay in Faerieland and feel connected to my element."

"These stupid flowers keep growing in my bluff! I need my cloud!"

"It feels so odd, being on the ground instead of the air. I'm sort of out of it..." an air faerie had told her one day.

Biting back a nastier retort she replied "That's why you have wings, dear." The faerie frowned in response.

"Do you want to keep Faerieland on the ground because of what that wicked Xweetok did to us?" She asked, taking her off guard.

Fyora considered this. She wanted to say how Faerieland was much more vulnerable on a cloud, but she knew this faerie wouldn't buy it.

"Yes and no," she replied evenly.

"Why should we heed her words after what she did to us?" she asked furiously, looking Fyora in the eye. The Faerie Queen held her gaze.

"We must heed what Xandra said because no matter how many times we can brush it off; there was a reason for her to think that way. She knew the faeries better than any pet," Fyora said, a bit more harshly than she intended. The air faerie looked alarmed.

"What she said wasn't true. You know that."

"I know."

The words were to comfort the faerie. She didn't her subjects to think she was losing her grip.

But in her mind, she remembered the words that she didn't let pass.

"_But were they?" _

* * *

Brynn's paws felt sweaty for some reason.

She decided it was for anticipation for a battle. Nothing related to a blue Ixi that she was going to see for the first time in a year.

The backpack felt unnaturally heavy. She had made sure to pack light with only essentials; healing potions, bandages, a flashlight, and some neopoints. Hanso always complained about having to carry around the gold coins, but she'd always insisted that they couldn't take what they wanted from the common passerby.

Of course. It never mattered to him.

_Hanso isn't important. Xandra is. _She thought to herself, rubbing her temple. It didn't help the memories flowing back. From the battles, to the jokes, to the sarcastic comments, Brynn hadn't forgotten a single detail.

_One moment of weakness_ she promised herself. She allowed herself to remember their last conversation.

"_Remember to take care, okay? Don't get caught up with the Thieves Guild, don't bother Nabile, and don't steal any magical artefacts. In fact-" She cut herself off by biting her tongue, about to tell him not to steal, remembering with a stab that he had already tried that. And failed. _

"_Ah Brynn, do you think I need reminding to stay away from the next thing as evil and pink as meepits?" _

_Brynn sighed exasperated. She figured the only thing he'd get out of her statement was 'Nabile'. _

"_Just stay safe, alright? Don't make me regret this."_

"_Regret what exactly sweetheart?" he asked with a grin. _

"_Letting you go knowing that you'll be stealing along the way." _

"_Aw come on Brynn! Just taking a little bit isn't hurting anyone. Neopoints are neopoints, and they can be earned over again."_

"_That's not the point!" she snapped back, face palming. "We've been through this too many times. I've given up trying to drill into your head."_

"_So you don't trust me?" _

_Brynn was surprised with the hurt on his face, but she was hurting too. "Why would that matter to you now?" _

"_Of course it matters Brynn! You're my friend!" Hanso said, sounding alarmed. _

"_I trust you. I always did and for some reason, I always will," she answered trying to hide her hesitation. He relaxed quickly, easy smile gracing his lips once again. _

"_You stay safe too. None of those thieves will stand a chance against you and your trusty handcuffs. I would know."_

_She smiled wryly in spite of herself. "I have a feeling that'll you'll be one of them."_

"_Well, we both know you can't stay away from me, sweetheart."_

_Brynn glared at his smirk. She could almost ignore the nagging feeling that she wasn't going to see him for a while. _

Brynn looked up to the sky to see the eyrie cab descending onto the newly cobbled streets of Faerieland.


End file.
